Heating

Okay, so I’ve been feeling extremely guilty about how much I used my heater in autumn. I pretty much used my entire year’s allowance before winter even started and now listening to the news and everything, I can see how much of a negative impact that has made on the planet. Because of this, I’ve decided to indefinitely turn off my central heating. In Sydney people usually only have their heater on in winter, and so to even out my insane heater usage in the last few months, I can no longer use my heater in 2021.

I’m writing this post from the comfort and warmth of my bed. My bed is essentially the only place I can sit these days without feeling as if I’m going to get hypothermia. The rest of my house is just so cold now that we’re in the dead of winter, and I can’t function properly when I’m cold. So, other than when I’m cooking and eating meals, I now spend the majority of my life in bed. I also work from home so I’ve essentially turned my bed into an office and have figured out how to make it look like a desk when I’m on camera. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to stay warm and save the planet – that’s how I see it.

I’m not going to lie, I’ve recently found myself dreaming about installing a massive central ducted gas heating in Sydney so that the entire state is always warm in winter. The dream makes me laugh quite a bit. My subconscious is obviously telling me what it wants, but my brain and conscience are too invested in stopping global warming to give in to my deepest desires. I have to make up for using my heater during autumn or else I am a part of the problem. 

I’ve got to go and put my hands in my pockets now. I feel like my fingers are about to fall off.

When my eldest daughter was in grade five, my family and I uprooted our life in Melbourne to move to Canberra for my husband’s new job. Moving four daughters, two dogs and ourselves to another state was a mammoth and at times, sad task, but we did it and have lived in Canberra ever since. When my husband died around eight years ago, we decided to stay in Canberra as my daughters had built their lives there. With my entire family and support over in Melbourne though, this was a difficult decision.

In times of great sadness, I found comfort by snuggling up to my gas heating. Canberra is a cold place at the best of times, but when your whole body feels cold from heartache, the comfort of a warm heater goes a long way. I’m not sure if you’ve ever gone through the heartache of losing your lifelong partner, but it can make your emotions irrational and explosive. I can’t even tell you how much I lost it when our heater broke. It felt like I was losing my husband all over again, and so I didn’t waste any time booking my heating repairs. Canberra technicians are efficient, thank goodness, and so the job was done quickly the next day. This didn’t stop me from breaking down into tears as soon as the technician left, but it did help me find the comfort and reassurance that I needed to get me through the day.

I can say now, on good authority, that I am doing a lot better than I was eight years ago. My daughters have all finished school, and my oldest has even finished university. They have thrived despite the pain losing their father put them through, and I am so thankful for it. I see a part of their father in each and every one of them, which gives me more comfort these days than my trusty gas heating.

A homemade ice store located in the heart of Canberra has found itself in hot water after their industrial heating stopped working. Early yesterday morning, the Stanley brothers, Mike and Harry, found their entire wares of ice cream “frozen into solid rocks of sadness and lost money,” stated Harry.

The two decided to start a “homemade ice factory” in their Canberra home after finding the depths of Winter needed some cheer. Making use of their unusually cold house, the two went into business for themselves, selling ice for $0.30 per kg. “It was the best thing we ever did,” said Mike. “I was the brains and Harry was the brawn, and we made a small fortune selling ice. Don’t ever tell anyone they can make it themselves.” The transition to ice confectionery was a natural one. The brothers have always had a sweet tooth and were keen to try their hand at artisanal frozen delights. Climate control was an important part of the process in making sure the kitchen was not too cold or too warm to work with their ingredients. Gas heating was essential in the Winter months as ice cream tends to go wrong if temperatures are ideal during the setting process. With favourable reviews and a growing list of happy customers, the team were set to expand the business into a chain of shops selling their delicious goods at reasonable prices.

This streak of luck stopped Sunday morning when the two found “a horror show,” after their central heating had ceased working during the night. “We scrambled to save the ice cream, but it just kept on slipping through our fingers,” reports Harry. “The humanity.” Once ice cream gets too cold, small icicles form and ruin the texture of the product.

An emergency call to a Canberra based heater repairs company was made, and “the cavalry came in a not long after that.” Once the heater was fixed, the ice cream production slowly started to increase again. “We had the team take care of the solid ice, and sweep the liquid away, then we got back onto the task at hand.”

The Stanley brothers have vowed to continue on their homemade treats quest, further resolved by their unfortunate turn of events. “We know that we wouldn’t be standing here, dry and in business, were it not for the good men and women who repaired our gas heating.”